Wildfire Technologist

Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Fort McMurray. We support Albertans in being proud stewards of air, land, water, and biodiversity by leading the work required for the desired environmental outcomes and sustainable development of natural resources.

For more information about the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry please visit our website at: www.agric.alberta.ca.

It is what you make of it so why not come to Fort McMurray and make it an investment, a community, a home. Fort McMurray is a dynamic community made up of people from all over the world. With great community facilities, a multitude of amenities, and natural beauty abound, this region offers endless recreational values not to mention a variety of opportunities for you and your loved ones. For more information on Fort McMurray follow the link below:

Do you have a strong background working in wildfire operations and/or prevention? Are you ready for the next step in your wildfire career? If you have a burning desire to take on a leadership role in supervising Wildfire staff and programs this may be the opportunity for you. We are currently looking for a dedicated individual to take on the role of a Wildfire Technologist in our Fort McMurray forest management area.

As a Wildfire Technologist you will be challenged with the operational and/or prevention program delivery in your respective Forest Management Area. You will be accountable for items including, but not limited to, pre-suppression, suppression, prescribed burns, FireSmart, education, compliance, investigations and Area safety programs. Through the supervision of permanent and seasonal staff you will also play a key leadership role which will involve program planning and program monitoring as well as providing training, mentoring and coaching to staff in order to achieve consistent application and effective program results. Another responsibility will be to provide support to the forest management program where you will apply your knowledge and expertise to assist in integrating forestry practices into field operations. Participation on special provincial Incident Command Teams and on provincial task forces, working groups, and committees will be expected and, in addition to this, you will act as the Duty Officer and Deputy Duty Officer on a rotational basis in the Fire Centre.

ABOUT YOUR COMPETENCIES:

The following competencies are key for success in this position. Please make sure to include how you have demonstrated these competencies in your past work experience in your resume and/or cover letter:

Drive for Results – The main focus of this position is on accountability for the wildfire management program goals that are assigned to you, and to meet or exceed the required performance measures through the effective coordination of resources and stakeholders. Additionally, you will ensure that all operations are conducted safely and efficiently in accordance with all applicable legislation, policy, and procedure.

Creative Problem Solving – You will be responsible for assisting in solving issues by giving the best solution to resolve the problem; problems which can vary from contracts to budget to human resources to uncontrollable events on Incident Management Teams (IMT’s). Participating on IMT’s and as Duty Officers, you will need to make time sensitive decisions and ensure that the appropriate resources, strategies and tactics are utilized.

Develop Self and Others – You will be accountable for ensuring staff are trained and conversant with all Wildfire Management guidelines in order to meet objectives and obtain desired results. Strong leadership skills will allow you to effectively develop team members and inspire them to work towards a common goal.

Build Collaborative Environments – Promoting team effectiveness within both the assigned programs and area operations will ensure delivery of wildfire management programs and resolution to wildfire management issues. Additionally, you will participate on provincial working groups to identify and address common operational issues and develop policy, guidelines, and initiatives.

Develop Networks – Building relationships with both internal and external stakeholders and ensuring that the right stakeholders and agencies are involved are imperative to your success in this position. You will participate on provincial task groups and work with a variety of industry and aboriginal groups, members of the public, emergency services, municipalities, and other staff to resolve issues and strategize on suppression and pre-suppression activities.

ABOUT YOUR WORK ENVIRONMENT:

As the successful candidate, you will be operating out of an office setting. Travel within the region and throughout the province will be required as part of your responsibilities and you will have frequent contact with Ministry staff and colleagues, other government departments, clients, and external stakeholder’s province-wide.

Qualifications: A diploma or degree in Natural Sciences or a related field plus 6 years of related experience in wildfire operations and prevention is required. A valid Class 5 driver’s license and eligibility for registration with the College of Alberta Professional Forest Technologists or College of Alberta Professional Foresters is also required. Supervisory experience will be considered an asset. Please note that candidates with lesser qualifications may be considered at a lower classification and salary.

Please note this competition may be used to fill current and future vacancies at equal or lesser classifications across the Government of Alberta.

Competencies are behaviours that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process. The link below will assist you with understanding competencies:

We thank all applicants for their interest. All applications will be reviewed to determine which candidates’ qualifications most closely match the advertised requirements. Only individuals selected for interviews will be contacted.

Lots of fun was had at the 2nd Annual Forestry Funspiel, held March 21, 2015 at the Corner Brook Curling Club. At the end $1050.00 raised for Log a Load for Kids in aid of the Janeway Foundation! 2015 Nickerson Cup winners were The Classy Massey’s (Skip: Bert Frampton, Dion Rideout, Shelley Quigley and You Jiao) who also took home the prize for most money raised! Best Dressed Team prize went to Cop’s & Loggers…. and it was a good job they looked good, because they also took home the Bobbie Prize for coming in dead last. Folks, let me tell you when they lose, they do it in style! This game took extra ends to win last place! Finally, a shout out to our host and sponsors: The Corner Brook Curling Club, Louis Gees Pizza, Molson Canadian and Pat Higgins-Remax! Hope to see you all again next year!